PhD Programme

Cranfield School of Management’s PhD programme is internationally renowned, for its rigour, structure, faculty support and global perspective.

The programme is ideal for scholars wishing to build their careers in academia, excel academically, make significant strides on their career path and shape new realities for business, management and policy. The Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF) assessed that in the Business and Management unit of assessment, 60% of Cranfield University’s research is world-leading or internationally excellent.

Overview

Start date30 September 2019

Duration3 years full-time

DeliveryResearch supported by appropriate training

QualificationPhD

Study typeFull-time

CampusCranfield campus

Participants receive a tailored training programme to support their specific research needs. Topics include research techniques, academic writing and presentation. All PhD students are encouraged to attend international conferences and to study overseas.

Cranfield enjoys unrivalled links with leading practitioners and policy communities and has a reputation for making theory relevant for the real world. There are around 80 international PhD researchers, a supportive environment and many opportunities for personal development.

Class Profile 2018/19:

Gender:

75% Male 25% Female

Average age:

33

Number of nationalities:

5

Class size:

8

The training and mentorship I received at Cranfield fully prepared me for a truly international research career.

Programme Structure

Researchers on the PhD programme are registered for 3 years full-time

The PhD programme begins with an induction week, immersing you in the essential research philosophy, methodologies and skills required to carry out doctoral level research and exposing you to the rigour required of research at this level. This will allow you to hit the ground running with your own research project. Your studies will be further supported through relevant research training over the course of the programme.

Throughout your PhD you will meet frequently with your supervisors, who will support and guide you through the research process,. In addition, your progress will be formally assessed through progress reviews, which enable us to ensure resources and support are in place so that all researchers get the most from their studies.

All PhD researchers are required to complete a thesis that demonstrates an original contribution to knowledge. Examination is based on the written work and its defence at a viva voce.

Doctoral Training

At Cranfield, we believe that all our doctoral researchers should receive world-class training in research methods, but that this training should be tailored to the individual researcher.

You will complete an annual Development Needs Analysis that will help us to identify the most appropriate training for you. This will include the core training undertaken during orientation week which is then extended through a series of masterclasses that you will attend over the course of the programme. Outside of this core requirement, your training will be tailored to the development needs of you and your specific research project. This may include attending the University Doctoral Core Research Methods Training (DCRMT) Programme courses, directed reading and individually identified external training provision.

Personal development

Throughout the course of your studies you will be given every opportunity for personal academic development through publishing and attendance at conferences and will be encouraged to fully participate in the wider research activities of the School.

In addition you will be able to benefit from:

Seminars and Events:

These include lunchtime research seminars from faculty and visiting academics, and the Doctoral Colloquia which is a forum for researchers to present research in a supportive environment.

Publishing papers:

From year one the school will support you in developing your publishing potential and we regularly organise writing workshops to support researchers in this important activity.

Supervisors:

At Cranfield we place great importance on supervision and the relationship a student has with his or her supervisor. The relationship is intended to be a stimulating and fruitful partnership, in which the supervisor provides guidance on the nature of research and the standards expected, and the student develops as a competent researcher, fully utilising the wide range of resources available within the School.

PhD Opportunities

There are various ways in which you can come and study with us and benefit from the expertise and network that the University offers its students.

At Cranfield School of Management our faculty are actively recruiting PhD candidates to collaborate with to further their research agendas. Please refer to our Research Interests and Potential Doctoral Research Projects Page for more information on specific research areas and potential doctoral research projects which are of current interest to our faculty. Alternatively, you can propose your own project provided it is positioned within the School’s core research areas.

How to apply

The School of Management is located on the Cranfield Campus, if you wish to apply for a place on the PhD programme, you will need to submit an online application. Once you have submitted your online application we will email you to confirm that we have received it. Within two working days, we will also provide you with a username and password so you can access the student portal, EVE. In EVE you will be able to:

view your application and personal details

view the progress of your application

upload additional documents, if required, in support of your application

request changes to your application

contact us with any questions you may have about your application

update your contact details

withdraw your application (prior to receiving a decision)

request to be considered for a deferral (if you have received an offer).

To help speed up the application process, please provide your supporting documents (e.g. degree certificate) as soon as possible.

We only require electronic copies of these documents during the application process. Photocopies sent by post will be scanned and uploaded to your electronic record. Please do not send us hard copies of your original documents but keep them to hand as you may need to show them to us at registration when you arrive.

In addition to meeting our entry requirements we also require you to submit a research proposal – outlining the research you would like to carry out. This needs to:

Formulate and define a clear, interesting research question or problem.

Establish the relevance and value of the proposed research question in the context of current academic thinking, highlighting its originality and significance. We expect you to have read some relevant literature in the area that you are planning to research and to provide a review of this.

Outline the methodology you propose to use to carry out your research, including the data sources and source material you plan to use.

Suggest what you hope to discover at the end of your research and what new areas it might open up (your contribution)

Provide a provisional timeline for your research

Your proposal should demonstrate to us and your potential supervisor your interest and your potential to carry out independent research.

Entry Requirements

To enrol on our PhD programme you will need:

PhD applicants are required to hold a first or upper second class UK Bachelor’s degree, a taught Master’s degree and an IELTS test minimum score of 7 or an equivalent international qualification (find out whether your qualification meets our requirements by visiting our International Student page).

In addition to meeting our entry requirements we also require you to submit a research proposal – outlining the research you would like to carry out. This needs to:

Formulate and define a clear, interesting research question or problem.

Establish the relevance and value of the proposed research question in the context of current academic thinking, highlighting its originality and significance. We expect you to have read some relevant literature in the area that you are planning to research and to provide a review of this.

Outline the methodology you propose to use to carry out your research, including the data sources and source material you plan to use.

Suggest what you hope to discover at the end of your research and what new areas it might open up (your contribution)

Provide a provisional timeline for your research

Your proposal should demonstrate to us and your potential supervisor your interest and your potential to carry out independent research.

Each application will be considered on its merits.

Fees

European Union students applying for university places in the 2018-19 academic year will still have access to student funding support. Please see the UK Government’s announcement (21 April 2017).

Cranfield University welcomes applications from students from all over the world for our postgraduate programmes. The Home/EU student fees listed continue to apply to EU students.

Course fees

Home-EU fees

PhD Full-time

£4,260
*

Overseas fees

PhD Full-time

£18,500

*
Prices are based on the current annual fee rate set by Research Councils UK.

Fee notes

For some research courses, an Additional Fee Element (AFE) will be payable in addition to the published research tuition fee. The AFE covers additional costs associated with, for example; programme management support, support from specialist laboratory technicians, access to specific technical equipment, facilities and analytic equipment. The AFE is chargeable at ‘Technical’ and ‘Non-technical’ rates of £7,500 and £2,500 per annum respectively. ‘Non-technical’ research degrees will normally be desk-based projects. Note that there may be some desk-based projects which rely on the existence of the University’s technical infrastructure and these will be classed as ‘Technical’.

An extra, bespoke AFE may also be added to either the ‘Non-Technical’ or to the ‘Technical’ AFE. This is to cover Non-standard costs which are incurred as a direct consequence of the research degree, e.g. significant external expertise, equipment or resources bought into Cranfield specifically for the project.

As each research project is different, the AFE is calculated on a student by student basis. Applicants will be able to discuss whether or not their course will incur an AFE, and at
what level, with their proposed supervisor. The agreed AFE will be included in the offer letter for the course even if it is not being charged directly to the student.

Fee notes:

The fees outlined apply to all students whose initial date of registration falls on or between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019.

All prices above are on a per annum basis and do not include the AFE.

Additional charges will apply for extensions of registration. This will be made up of a monthly extension fee plus the AFE on a pro rata basis. Therefore the amount charged will depend on the duration of extension.

Fee eligibility at the Home/EU rate is determined with reference to UK Government regulations. As a guiding principle, EU nationals (including UK) who are ordinarily resident in the EU pay Home/EU tuition fees, all other students (including those from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) pay Overseas fees.